Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Three Word Wednesday

She was sitting at the computer when she heard a loud crash, a yell and shrieks of laughter. She ran to the living room. "What's all that racket???"

Her oldest daughter had been skipping rope (in the middle of the living room, come on!) when the rope got tangled up in her youngest daughter's big wheel rider thingy. The rider went up in the air and landed a few feet from the TV. The oldest was not hurt, but she was crying in full-blown drama-queen mode. The youngest, momentarily distracted from her easel by the crash, thought it was a game and laughed delightedly. A closer look at the little rascal showed her arms and legs covered in blue marker scribbles, original toddler tattoo art. Great, just great.

What is a boricua?

Puerto Ricans often proudly identify themselves as Boricua, from the Taíno word Boriken, to illustrate their recognition of their Taíno heritage. The word Boriken, which translates to "the great land of the valiant and noble Lord", was used by the original Taíno Indian population to refer to the island of Puerto Rico before the arrival of the Spanish. The use of the word Boricua has been popularized in the island and abroad by descendents of Puerto Rico heritage, commonly using the phrase, "Yo soy Boricua" ("I am Boricua", or "I am Puerto Rican") to identify themselves as Puerto Ricans.